Thursday, March 30, 2017

Abstract Spiral in Glass Tile Smalti Mosaic

My first abstract art. When I began, I didn't have a very clear idea of what the finished piece would look like. I wanted to create a feeling of movement and rising within the confines of the high-walled box. I loved the freedom of letting the colors just fill the spaces and discovering what the art would become.

Finished Italian smalti mosaic of an abstract spiral

This mosaic was done inside a a slide top 6 bottle wine box. Someone at the local wine store gave me quite a few of them for free. It was harder than I expected to work in a box with such high sides because there was never a good place for my arms and elbows. But I like the re-purposing of an item and getting a bonus knick knack shelf after it's complete.

A side view of the wine box

The shapes in the completed mosaic are based on a 2011 photo from a spiral staircase in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

My husband's photo of the spiral staircase

As I began the mosaic it was hard to find a direction. I didn't know if I should start work in the middle or begin out in the corners and work towards the center. I randomly chose to start with the lighter mid-section hoping to get a feeling of rising, but in the beginning it looked very much like an eye. I hope that part recedes in the finished mosaic.

My progress of the abstract spiral

There is a meditative quality to creating a mosaic that I have not found in any other medium. It was almost therapeutic to lose myself in the tedium of placing each tiny bit. I truly enjoyed working on this mosaic and am sorry to see it finished because I will miss spending time with it.